# Steelsoap - how does it work?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steelsoap-how-does-it-work/563265>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 7, 2010, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steelsoap-how-does-it-work/563265 "2010-12-07T13:55:41Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![komolono](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/komolono/32/532_2.png) [@komolono](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/komolono)\
**Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steelsoap-how-does-it-work/563265/1 "2010-12-07T13:55:41Z")

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I opened up a Xmas present in advance. And what did I get - a stainless steel soap.

> **[Stainless steel soap](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stainless_steel_soap)**
>
> Stainless steel soap is a piece of stainless steel, in the form of a soap bar or other hand-held shape. Its purported purpose is to neutralize or reduce strong odors such as those from handling garlic, onion, durian, guava, salami, or fish.
> No published scientific studies are known to have been conducted on the efficacy of these soaps, for which serious doubts have been raised.
> The characteristic taste and odor of garlic is due to an oily, slightly yellow organosulfur compound S-Allyl prop-2...

I read the instructions and washed my hands with a little water and rubbing my fingers against it after slicing some onions. Yes, it works.  
Can anybody say why it works? Does rubbing stailess steel free electrons to oxidate sulphur ions on skin? What are different odors anyway - gaseous ions, perhaps? Is this similar to ionizer/ozone generator, but low-voltage?